It’s Time To Create the Department of Global Trade

Our command structure is a convoluted mess due to the split authority between the USTR (United States Trade Representative) and Department of Commerce. This split provides the USTR responsibility or “policy”, “coordination” and “negotiations” while providing the Secretary of Commerce “nonagricultural operational trade responsibility”. We must replace the USTR-Department of Commerce two-headed monster... Read More

To the Point News

View my latest article published by To The Point News in Washington. I hope you enjoy!!  Read More

If You Support Free Trade, It’s Time for Action!

Before George W. Bush came to office we had Free Trade Agreements with four countries. Today we have FTA’s with fourteen. However this pales against the European Union that has concluded twenty-eight FTA’s and China that has already in place twenty-one. We have much ground to make up. We must insist upon FTA’s with China and Japan that are responsible for over 60% of our merchandise trade deficit. Visit members of Congress in their... Read More

World War II Ended in 1945—So Why Do We Have a Marshall Plan Mentality When it Comes to World Trade?

A Marshall Plan export economic mindset that stretches back a half century has set us on course towards $1 trillion trade deficits stretching as far as one can see. It is important to understand how we got into this mess. Only after World War Two did the United States begin to advocate a liberal trade policy. To promote post-war recovery in Western Europe and Asia the U.S. opened its market wide to war-time enemies without requiring equal access for... Read More

Neal Asbury Wins Exporter of the Year

I am very happy to announce that I have been named SBA’s National Champion Exporter of the year. For more information on the award visit the following links: Greenfield World Trade’s Neal Asbury Named SBA’s National Champion Greenfield World Trade’s Neal Asbury Named SBA’s National Champion Exporter of the Year WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The SBA  Read More

Exporting is My Life

When I graduated college, I knew I wanted to be in international trade, but I didn’t know how I’d fit in…So, I moved to Manhattan and got a little apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. I looked in The New York Times classifieds the first day I arrived, and went to the heading of ‘export.’ I got a job in the mailroom of a Fifth Avenue food service exporter. They kind of questioned me about whether I wanted that job, because... Read More

Feds and Business Leaders Defend Trade Pacts – New York Times

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have  attacked NAFTA in their bids for the Democratic presidential nomination, blaming the 14-year-old North American free trade deal for widespread job cuts in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Federal officials and business leaders, including myself, have  dismissed the calls by the Democratic presidential candidates to renegotiate NAFTA, believing that free trade deals help American small businesses and... Read More

Let’s Get NAFTA Into The Political Debate

Unfortunately this election cycle is a huge disappointment among the current candidates from both major parties.  Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have cut and pasted the AFL-CIO anti-trade positions to their websites and routinely include the union’s talking points in their speeches. They tell us they are going to “fix” the evils of NAFTA or “opt out”. This is the same rhetoric the ultra-left wing Mexican presidential candidate Andres... Read More

China: The Great Manipulator

Even as it tries to manipulate world opinion about the upcoming Olympics, China has succeeded in really manipulating the world when it comes to world trade. Let’s start by looking at some numbers. The U.S. trade deficit with China will exceed $200 billion in 2005. This is up from $162 billion in 2004 and $135 billion in 2003. If we exclude our crude oil imports, China represents 42% of our overall trade deficit. In fact we spend more importing all... Read More

“The World Is Flat?” No, The World is Tilted

I recently gave a presentation to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in association with the U.S. Southern Command, Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami, Florida International University, and Miami Free Zone at their “Americas Intelligence Briefing Series” on China’s Role in the Americas. Thomas Friedman of the New York Times asserts in his best selling book on globalization, “The World is Flat,” that the world has... Read More